Coin Proves Itself a Bright New Talent at House of Blues

If there’s one thing to be said about indie pop newcomer Coin, it’s that the group knows how to put on a show. The audience seemed to agree as the Nashville natives took over the House of Blues (329 N. Dearborn St) with its high energy, dance-filled concert Feb. 24. With buzzing synthesizers, lively guitars and pulsing percussion, Coin worked the crowd into a satisfied exhaustion.

Utah-based indie pop band The Aces opened for Coin. The group is composed of talented female musicians whose music is driven by consistently fun guitar riffs and bass lines. Lead singer Cristal Ramirez engaged the crowd as she held hands with fans, one of whom handed her a rose. The Aces did a wonderful job of preparing the crowd for Coin, given this is The Aces’ first full North American tour.

Coin took the stage to enthusiastic cheering and applause as the screen behind them read, “Welcome home.” The band opened with its new single, “Growing Pains.” The song had only been out for two weeks at the time, but it’s obvious it has already won over fans because the crowd sang along to every word.

It was easy for Coin to establish a connection with the audience as lead singer and keyboardist Chase Lawrence held hands with fans and walked out into the crowd multiple times during the set. Whenever Lawrence ventured off stage, the rest of the quartet stayed put, with Joe Memmel on guitar, Ryan Winnen on drums and Zachary Dyke on bass.

Coin’s 2018 North American tour is only its second headlining tour and with bigger venues and more dates across the continent, it is evidence of the band’s continued growth.

Coin addresses topics of social anxiety in its song “I Don’t Wanna Dance” and fear of the future in “Don’t Cry, 2020” off the 2017 album, “How Will You Know If You Never Try.” The theme was woven into the stage decoration as the bass drum read, “Baby, I’m freaking out,” hinting at lyrics from Coin’s forthcoming album.

The band might sing about not wanting to dance, but it definitely knows how to make a crowd do so. Lawrence himself couldn’t stay still as he danced across the stage and climbed on the speakers.

The band played a slowed down piano version of “I Would” off its 2015 self-titled album. As the crowd screamed the lyrics, “I don’t know what to do, I think I might be in love with you” back at him, Lawrence, seemingly overcome with emotion, had to take a moment — which was only met with more supportive cheering and applause.

“This song is about love,” Lawrence said as the band went on to perform an unreleased song, “Youuu.”

The dreamy guitars of “Malibu 1992” were complimented by hazy, soft gold lighting and images of crashing waves and a picturesque sunset on the stage backdrop.

Lawrence thanked the crowd multiple times throughout the show, acknowledging that fans’ support is the reason the band has made it as far as it has.

The band’s 2017 single, “Talk Too Much,” was one of the last to be played. Memmel nailed the riff and the crowd showed its excitement as Coin played its most popular song, which reached number eight on the Billboard alternative charts.

“Feeling” was Coin’s encore song of choice for a crowd that seemed to have already given everything it could. The song jolted the audience back to life and immediately had everyone jumping to the beat.

The effort that Coin puts into its live shows is what elevates its performances over the top. It already has the infectious melodies built into the studio versions of its songs, but the emotion in concert is what truly makes Coin what it is.

Coin’s new single “Growing Pains” is available on iTunes and Spotify to purchase and stream.